Women's Asia Cup T20, all-round India demolish UAE: Key stats
What's the story
India Women thrashed the United Arab Emirates by 78 runs in Match 5 of the 2024 Women's Asia Cup T20 in Dambulla. Riding on fifties from Richa Ghosh and Harmanpreet Kaur, India posted 201/5 while batting first. The Arab team never really looked in the hunt as they could only manage 123/7 in their 20 overs. Here we look at the key stats.
India's innings
India post a massive total
While Shafali Verma's 18-ball 37 gave India a flying start, Smriti Mandhana and Dayalan Hemalatha missed out. Harmanpreet arrived with the scorecard reading 52/2. She dominated a 54-run stand with Jemimah Rodrigues (14) to take India past 100. The Indian star then played the second fiddle in the 75-run partnership with Richa Ghosh as India finished at 201/5.
UAE's response
UAE falter in response
UAE never really looked in the hunt as their scoring rate remained around six. While three of their top-four batters couldn't enter double digits, skipper and opener Esha Rohit Oza (38 off 36) played a sluggish knock. Kavisha Egodage (40* off 32) also contributed to reduce the margin of defeat. The Indian bowlers were clinical as the Arab side fell well short.
Richa
Maiden WT20I fifty for Richa
Richa went berserk toward the end and scored an unbeaten 64 off just 29 balls (12 fours, 1 six). She smoked the joint-fourth fastest fifty for India (26 balls). The 20-year-old has now raced to 824 WT20I at 28.41. This was her maiden fifty. In the Women's Asia Cup T20, she has completed 138 runs while striking at 172.50.
Feats
Richa scripts these records
Richa's 64* is now the highest score by a designated keeper-batter in the Women's Asia Cup T20 history. Bangladesh's Nigar Sultana (53 versus Malaysia, 2022) and Malaysia's Wan Julia (52 versus Thailand, 2024) are the only other keepers with fifty in the tourney. Her strike rate of 220.68 is the highest for a batter in an Asia Cup innings (50-plus runs).
Harmanpreet
Second-most runs in WT20Is for Harmanpreet
Harmanpreet scored a well-paced 66 off just 47 balls (7 fours, 1 six). Meanwhile, the Indian skipper has overall raced to 3,415 WT20I runs at 28.22 (50s: 12, 100: 1). The dasher displaced Australia's Meg Lanning (3,405) as the second-highest run-getter in the format. She is now only behind Suzie Bates (4,348). Meanwhile, 1,155 of Harmanpreet's runs have come in neutral games at 29.61.
Records
Historic partnership, highest score
Harmanpreet and Richa added 75 runs for the fifth wicket. This is now the highest-ever stand for the fifth wicket or lower in Women's Asia Cup T20 history. Meanwhile, the duo's brilliance meant India became the first team to touch the 200-run mark in the competition. India's 188/5 versus Malaysia in 2022 was the previous highest score.
Deepti
Deepti accomplishes this feat
Deepti Sharma was the pick of the Indian bowlers, claiming 2/23 in her four overs. She is now the joint-third-highest wicket-taker in WT20Is, having raced to 126 wickets at an average of 19. Her economy rate is 6.01. In 38 neutral venue matches, Deepti now owns 43 scalps (ER: 5.62). 21 of her scalps have come in the Women's T20 Asia Cup (ER: 4.06).
Elite list
Deepti joins these names
With this two-wicket haul, Deepti equaled England's Sophie Ecclestone and Australia's Ellyse Perry in terms of WT20I wickets (126 each). Only Nida Dar (140) and Megan Schutt(136) are ahead of the trio. Meanwhile, Dar (26) and Bangladesh's Rumana Ahmed (23) are the only bowlers with more Women's Asia Cup T20 wickets than Deepti. The all-rounder also boasts 1,020 WT20I runs at 23.72.
Egodage
A fine spell from Kavisha Egodage
Kavisha Egodage was both the highest-scorer and wicket-taker for UAE in the game. The off-spinner claimed 2/36 in her four overs besides scoring an unbeaten 32-ball 40*. She slammed three fours and a maximum. Egodage has raced to 1,849 WT20I runs at 34.88. The tally also includes 37 scalps at an economy of 4.85.